Small is Beautiful

I'm sitting typing this in the middle of an empty living area. Everything but the telly, the laptop and the fridge has been put into storage so that new bamboo boards can be put down. My horrible old flooring is going to be pulled up tomorrow, and I can't wait!
...although someone around here is going to miss the carpet:

(It's OK ~ I've got a new rug at the ready so that she can roll around on that instead.)

Much of the past week has been spent packing boxes and moving furniture, but I have spent a little time out in my neglected garden which, despite having grown even wilder and more tangled, is still pretty.

The potato flowers are blooming,

the pomegranates have ripened

and I've unearthed a wire candle holder that I like, made at a Saturday workshop a few years ago, and I've hung it from my little gum tree so that I can see it from my bedroom window. The glass is very reflective and glows in the sunlight:

I haven't been doing a lot of crochet but, when the floorboards have been put in, I would like to start making some new scatter cushions. I've decided that I want to make something like the first pillow you can see here. I'm going to use motifs from a Japanese craft book I own called Crochet Motif Item. (Sadly, it's now out of print.) I particularly like Motif Number 30, which I first tried crocheting last year:

I want the cushion to be sturdy so I'm crocheting the motifs out of kitchen string and I am planning on felting the backing.

...and of course, in between all the packing and moving, I've still been gaining lots of inspiration from the internet. I've really enjoyed visiting lucy at attic24. Lucy creates colourful, joyful posts and has put together some excellent crochet tutorials. I've also been loving jek in the box for her exuberant, quirky photos...and when I've been feeling tired of renovating my cramped little unit I've been going over to Apartment Therapy and reminding myself that small really can be beautiful, as you can see here and here.

Have a fabulous week everybody.